1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an opposed-contact connector having terminals mounted in and projecting from a housing.
2. Background
There is known an opposed contact-type connector having terminals mounted in and projecting from a housing. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional opposed-contact connector, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a condition in which the opposed-contact connector of FIG. 15 is electrically contacted with a battery. For example, the opposed-contact connector 1 is often used as a device for contact with battery-charging electrodes, and terminal contacts 3 project from a housing 5 so that they can electrically contact recessed battery electrodes, respectively.
When the battery 7 and the opposed-contact connector 1 are set in position in opposed relation to each other to achieve electrical contact, the projecting terminal contact 3 is pressed by the battery electrode 9, and is resiliently deformed within the housing 5, so that the terminal contact 3 is held in electrical contact with the battery electrode 9 under an appropriate pressure produced by a resilient restoring force of the terminal contact 3.
In the above conventional opposed-contact connector 1, however, the terminal contact 3 is projected from the housing 5 in an exposed manner so that it can contact the recessed electrode 9, and therefore there are occasions when the terminal contact 3 interferes with other member to be deformed. And besides, since the terminal contact 3 is projected, the hand grease, dust and so on adhere to the terminal contact 3, and the terminal contact 3 is subjected to corrosion due to the adherence of such foreign matter, and as a result there is a possibility that the electrical contact is adversely affected. Furthermore, when a relatively high voltage is applied to the terminals, there is a possibility that adverse effects are exerted on the human body.